How 'Charleston Shoe Company' Founder Neely Woodson Powell’s Childhood in the Florida Keys Led Her to Build a Multi-Million Dollar Fashion Empire
- Miami Living Team
- Sep 5, 2024
- 3 min read
With the brand slogan “from cobblestones to cocktails,” the Charleston Shoe Company, featured in FORBES and New York Magazine, has evolved into an iconic national symbol of versatile comfortability. Today, Charleston Shoe Company's products (shoes, clothes, and accessories) can be found not only in their 25 own retail stores which includes seven Florida locations, but also in over 350 boutiques nationwide. Their Florida locations include Sarasota, Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Naples, Vero Beach, The Villages, and Seaside. The remarkable story of entrepreneurship, resilience, and female empowerment behind the brand’s founder Neely Woodson Powell, goes back to her childhood growing up in the Florida Keys.
As a child, Neely had the great opportunity to witness both of her parents pursue their passions and become successful entrepreneurs. When she was 8 years old, her father moved the family to a five-acre island in the Florida Keys, Harry Truman’s former fishing lodge, that he had bought and decided to build a hotel on. And not any hotel, he built one of the first Relais & Châteaux in the country. This is where she grew up and got her first lessons in customer service and entrepreneurship. “That was his dream and his “retirement” after he sold 15 restaurants that he had conceptualized in the 70s. In the early 80s, coming from Memphis, TN, this was a big deal. My grandmother thought we had moved halfway around the world because that was just unheard of.” Neely says. “I watched my dad build this island from the ground up. I helped with everything. We were sampling smells for shampoos at night and sampling menus. I’d come home and create my little kitchen, draw up my menu, and serve it to my sister. That creativity and the ‘people aspect’ of business was ingrained in me from those early days. I learned from my parents that successful people are generous, connected, and networking people. Whether you have a family or create one, we all need people who care about us, see opportunities they share with us, and mentor, support, and push us. And they may need to push us through unique and non-traditional things.”
During the day, Neely went to school on an island in a trailer, and at night, she’d go to the five-star hotel and played piano in the hotel restaurant, helping entertain famous guests, from the Bushes to Rod Stewart and all in-between. There was a juxtaposition of cultures, classes, and people from all over the world. “I didn’t know the difference between the people I’d go to school with and those I’d interact with on the island. I think talking and speaking and interacting with everyone was a super important building block in who I have become as a business owner, not only from creating a team of 200 women but also a client base of millions of women. I can interact with anyone. That’s a super important entrepreneurial aspect people don’t focus on. It’s the people aspect.”
Her mother, focused on her own entrepreneur ambitions herself, began traveling to the quaint city of San Miguel de Allende where she saw an opportunity to import unique pieces of furniture hand crafted by local artisans. “I watched her bring products home and sell them at trunk shows. She started that business out of the trunk of her car, and now they’re sold to tens of thousands of decorators and retailers worldwide.” Neely began accompanying her on trips to the Mexican city and discovered the artistry of a Mexican cobbler named Santiago, whose stylish yet comfortable sandals sparked her own entrepreneur mind. This chance encounter led to the birth of Charleston Shoe Company, a now iconic national brand known for its versatile and fashionable footwear, still hand-sewn by skilled artisans in Mexico. The brand's unique features, including treaded soles, elastic straps, washability, and bold designs, have earned it a loyal following across the United States. “Women will wear our shoes out of the store where someone else will see them. From there, they’ll randomly become friends. The next thing you know, strangers are letting strangers try their shoes on. Then they’re sending them to the store.”
But Neely's story isn't just about shoes; it's about enterprise and determination and a testament to her charisma and emphasis on putting her customers first. She relentlessly pursued her passion, enrolling in the Savannah College of Art & Design to enhance her shoe design knowledge. Her first retail store in Savannah quickly led to dozens more, and the rest is history.
